The verb GIVE creates essential phrasal verbs for sharing, surrendering, and distributing. From giving up on challenges to giving away secrets, this family covers generosity, defeat, emissions, and transfers. Master these phrasal verbs and you'll express acts of sharing and releasing with confidence.
Meaning: To quit, to stop trying, to surrender
"Don't give up on your dreams, keep trying!"
๐ Listen
"He gave up smoking last year for his health."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Most common "give" phrasal verb - for quitting and stopping activities.
Meaning: To surrender, to yield to pressure, to submit
"After hours of arguing, she finally gave in."
๐ Listen
"Don't give in to peer pressure at school."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Often used for yielding to pressure or accepting defeat.
Meaning: To reveal a secret, to betray, to donate for free
"His nervous laughter gave away his true feelings."
๐ Listen
"We're giving away free samples at the store."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Can mean revealing secrets or giving things for free.
Meaning: To return something, to contribute to society
"Please give back my book when you finish reading it."
๐ Listen
"She volunteers to give back to her community."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Used for returning items or contributing to society.
โจ Taking a break? Practice what you've learned!
You've mastered the GIVE family! Discover other phrasal verb families and practice with interactive exercises.
Meaning: To distribute, to stop working, to run out of energy
"The teacher gave out homework assignments to all students."
๐ Listen
"My car engine gave out on the highway."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Can mean distribution or mechanical/physical failure.
Meaning: To emit or produce (smell, light, heat, etc.)
"This heater gives off a lot of warmth."
๐ Listen
"The flowers give off a beautiful fragrance."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Perfect for describing emissions of smells, light, or heat.
GIVE AWAY (Free Distribution)
โ Categories
Meaning: To distribute something for free, to donate
"The company is giving away free t-shirts at the event."
๐ Listen
"She gave away all her old clothes to charity."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Common in marketing, charity, and generous actions.
Meaning: To deliver a baby, to create or originate something
"She gave birth to twins last month."
๐ Listen
"The meeting gave birth to several new ideas."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Used literally for childbirth or metaphorically for creation.
๐ฏ Ready to test your knowledge? Try the exercises!
You've mastered the GIVE family! Discover other phrasal verb families and practice with interactive exercises.
Meaning: To yield in traffic, to collapse, to be replaced by
"You must give way to traffic coming from the right."
๐ Listen
"Winter gave way to a beautiful spring."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Essential for traffic rules and describing transitions.
Meaning: To cause or lead to something, to result in
"The new policy gave rise to many complaints."
๐ Listen
"His research gave rise to groundbreaking discoveries."
๐ Listen
๐ก Usage Tip:
Formal expression for describing causes and consequences.